Well. Bob’s ibis post just made me feel old!! Actually, I’monly 59 but I started birding 47 years ago. In July of 1977, 7 immature WhiteIbis appeared in Mount Sinai harbor where they remained for over a month. On July 19th, 1977, I found a lone immature WhiteIbis in the salt marsh at Prospect Point (Sands Point, Nassau County). Despitebeing very young, I immediately knew what it was. I rode my bike home, andcalled up Barbara Spencer, my birding mentor and the preeminent birder in allof New York State at the time. She came the next day (I had found the bird inthe evening the day before), and for good measure dragged another genius birderwith her in Tom Davis. Fortunately, the bird was still there and they photographedit and published the photos in the Kingbird. Barbara, not to be outdone by heryoung protégé, promptly found a Franklin’s Gull a few hundred feet away fromthe ibis. This is what she did, regularly….
Coincidentally, 1977 was also the year that a Bar-tailedGodwit showed up on Long Island, in August at Oak Beach Marsh, and an Anhingawas seen over Middle Line Island in July……. The ibis and godwit are both documented in the Fall 1977issue of the Kingbird. Oddly, the 1977 Mount Sinai ibis don’t appear anywhereon eBird. This is a glaring omission and maybe somebody that saw them (and isstill living) can enter them into the eBird database. Anyway, just thought this information would make useful reading! Cheers,Glenn -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
